Canyonlands National Park

Canyonlands is my favorite of all of the national parks. It is far less crowded than it's infamous sibling in northern Arizona. The Grand Canyon may be more popular, but it's got nothing on Canyonlands. I've spent plenty of time in both. The Grand Canyon is larger, but Canyonlands is still huge. The primary difference between the two is that for the most part visitors to the Grand Canyon are relegated to seeing the chasm from viewpoints along the rim. Canyonlands allows you to get down into the canyons, and the exploring possibilities are limitless.

In this image the Colorado River can be seen meandering through a remote section of Canyonlands as it heads towards the Grand Canyon 200 miles to the south. This particular area is known as Chicken Corners. It's about a 4 hour drive from Moab on a relatively easy 4WD road. There are a couple of sections that can get a little dicey, but for the most part the road is easily negotiated. You just need to take it slow so that you don't cut a tire.

My intent was to shoot the area at sunset and then return to Moab 4 hours later under the cover of darkness. I saw very few other vehicles this day, perhaps 4 or 5. This is why I so love Canyonlands. I saw my last vehicle at 3:00 about 1/2 way to Chicken Corners. It was a couple in a Jeep and they were headed back towards Moab. I shot this image right at sunset and then I hung around for a while afterwards just enjoying the magnificent scenery and the embrace of solitude. The 4 hour drive back was a little spooky without the aid of daylight, but it was so worth it.